Vadzim Vezhnavets

Affiliated media: TV channel Ranak, Editor-in-chief

Incident date: June 9, 2023

Attack type:

• Prosecution for extremism, links with terrorists, inciting hatred, high treason, calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order, rehabilitation of Nazism (2)

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Svetlogorsk

Additional information:

The police detained nine employees of the private regional TV channel Ranak. Among the detainees were editor-in-chief Vadzim Vezhnavets, journalist Andrei Lipsky, cameramen Pavel Rabko and Uladzimir Papou, marketing specialist Maryna Bychkouskaya, chief accountant Alena Kisyalyova, secretary Krystsina Kazyalkova, advertising agent Hanna Zgurskaya and accountant Elizaveta Shevyalenka. The local police department drew up reports on them under Part 2 of Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences (distribution, production, storage, transportation of information products containing calls to extremist activity) and placed them in a temporary detention center until the trial. Only Zgurskaya (pregnant) and Shevyalenka (disabled) were released before the trial for health reasons. According to the official version, they were detained allegedly for subscribing to a chat in social networks, included in the list of «extremist materials».